System and method for routing signaling messages in a communication network

ABSTRACT

A system and method for routing signaling messages in a communication network includes an improved route engine having a plurality of dynamically loadable route trees encoded as standardized data files each provisioned for use according to a corresponding network service and having one or more nodes each encoded with logic to independently carry out processing for the service and return a corresponding route response.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to communication networks and, moreparticularly, to a system and method for routing signaling messages in acommunication network.

BACKGROUND ART

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic diagram of apacket-telephony network, also called an Internet Protocol (IP) network10. Network 10 may comprise, for example, a fiber layer 12 such as thatcurrently provided by Level 3 Communications, Inc. to drive voice andIP-VPN services on. More particularly, fiber layer 12 is used generallyto transport IP packets, and more specifically, to transport voice ontop of an IP layer.

Communication network 10 includes one or more computing devices whichmay be used by a calling party to initiate a voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP) call. Such devices, when used alone, or in combinationwith other devices as discussed below, function to convert analog audiosignals into digital data packets that can be transmitted efficientlyover the Internet. Commonly used computing devices include, for example,IP SoftPhones 14, analog telephone adapters 16, and IP phones 18. Asthose skilled in the art are aware, IP SoftPhones 14 (also called PCSoftPhones) generally comprise one or more application programs residenton a computer. Such applications and services are currently commerciallyavailable, for example, from Skype®, Net2Phone®, AOL®, Yahoo® and manyother service providers. When used in conjunction with a microphone,speakers and a sound card, the above applications permit a generalpurpose computer to initiate and receive VoIP calls. Analog telephoneadapters (ATA's) 16 (also called terminal adapters) provide the simplestand most common entry point for VoIP service. ATA's 16 allow users toconnect a standard analog telephone to a computer or Internet connectionsuch as a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem, cable modem, etc. ATA'sfunction as analog to digital converters which take analog signals fromtraditional telephones and convert the same into digital packets fortransmission over the Internet. Many VoIP providers bundle ATA's freewith their service. Finally, IP phones 18 are specialized telephonesthat look and function to the user as normal telephones with a handset,cradle and buttons. But instead of having standard RJ-11 phoneconnectors, RJ-45 Ethernet connectors are provided. IP phones 18 includeall the necessary hardware and software to generate the required digitaldata packets. IP phones 18 may connect directly to a router through awired connection or, in the case of Wi-Fi, through a wirelessconnection. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones are exemplary IPphones in common use today.

As those skilled in the art will recognize, SIP is a general purposeapplication-layer control protocol (signaling protocol) which wasdeveloped and designed within the IETF (Internet Engineering TaskForce). The specification for SIP is available in the form of severalrequests for comments (RFC's), the most important of which is RFC 3261.RFC 3261 contains the core protocol specification for creating,modifying and terminating sessions with one or more participants. In thecase of VoIP, the protocol initiates call set-up, call authentication,call termination and other communication features to endpoints i.e. useragents within an IP domain. SIP is meant to make communication possible.The communication itself (the sounds that are digitized), however, mustbe achieved by other means (and possibly another protocol). Twoprotocols that may be used along with SIP are Real Time TransportProtocol (RTP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP). RTP is used tocarry real-time multi-media (including audio, video and text) and makesit possible to encode and split the data into packets and transport suchpackets over the Internet. SDP is similarly used to describecapabilities of session participants. The description is then used tonegotiate the characteristics of the session so that all the end devicescan participate.

Significantly, SIP is an end-to-end oriented signaling protocol in thatall the logic is stored in end devices (with the exception of routingSIP messages as discussed below). State is also stored in end-devicessuch that there is no single point of failure. This end-to-end design isa significant divergence from the Public Switched Telephone Network(PSTN) where all the state and logic is stored in the network and theend devices—plain old telephone service (POTS) telephones—are primitive.Although SIP is the most commonly used protocol for VoIP applications,it is not the only available or applicable signaling protocol for theseapplications. Other suitable protocols include, for example, H.323created by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specificallyfor video conferencing, as well as Media Gateway Control Protocol(MGCP).

Network 10 further includes a plurality of entry or edge devices 20which function, in accordance with the signaling protocol used, torecognize voice calls (as opposed to data calls) and provide therequired interface to and from network 10. In the SIP protocol, forexample, such edge devices are referred to generally as edge proxyservers (EPS's). Edge proxy servers are further provided incommunication with the SIP core network 22 and, more particularly, witha core proxy server (CPS) 24. As shown, CPS 24 provides an entry pointto the core network 22 and includes the intelligence for determining howand where to route voice calls.

Referring still to FIG. 1, IP network 10 may be provided incommunication with a PSTN network 26 via a gateway device 28 and mediagateway controller (MGC) 30 which together function to convert theSignaling System No. 7 (SS7) and time division multiplexed (TDM) analogsignals of the PSTN to SIP and digital data packets and vice versa. PSTNnetwork 26 is, of course, provided in communication with one or morePOTS telephones 32 via a network of central offices and serving circuitbased switches such as Class 5 switches 33 which are well known to thoseskilled in the art. Although not shown, network 10 may similarly beprovided in communication with other suitable wired or wireless networkseither directly via a suitable gateway device or indirectly via thePSTN.

The aforementioned devices that are internal to network 10, i.e. edgeproxy servers, core proxy server, media gateway controllers, etc. arereferred to generally in the art as “Softswitches” in that they areoften logical entities comprising software running on general purposecomputing platforms and may be co-located. Regardless of the physicallocation, these entities together function to independently process androute signaling messages through the network.

Signaling messages in an IP network are generally managed by the corenetwork 22 and, more particularly, by a routing module 34 provided incommunication with CPS 24. Although the determination of “how” toprocess such messages is generally defined and effected by theapplicable signaling protocol, e.g. SIP, the initial determination of“where” to route such messages (which edge device) has been left todesign choice. Heretofore, conventional systems have utilized hard codedand proprietary routing logic (static sets of process instructions) inconjunction with routing tables stored in relational databases toaccomplish this task. Such systems may be understood from a logic flowperspective as comprising multiple layers of “if else” statements whichfunction to handle every call in a prescribed manner based on definedlogic. As readily seen, however, such systems may often be wasteful ofnetwork resources and time consuming and expensive to update as anychanges in the logic require corresponding changes, tests andredeployment of the involved software.

Consequently, a need has developed for an improved system and method forreceiving and intelligently routing signaling messages in acommunication network such as an IP network. Such a system shouldutilize standardized data structures and be dynamically loadable andhighly scalable so as to minimize network resources and be quickly andeasily updated as new products and services become available.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improvedsystem and method for routing signaling messages in a communicationnetwork.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedproxy server for receiving and forwarding such messages in an IPnetwork.

Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved route engine module for receiving and routing SIP signalingmessages in an IP network.

Yet still further, it is an object of the present invention to providesuch a route engine module which utilizes independent and dynamicallyloadable and linkable route nodes wherein the routing logic is encodedas standardized data structures.

In carrying out these and other objects, features and advantages of thepresent invention, there is provided an improved proxy server forreceiving and forwarding signaling messages in a communication networksuch as, for example, an IP network. The proxy server comprises a routeengine having a plurality of dynamically loadable route trees eachconfigured in advance or “on the fly” and provisioned for use inaccordance with a corresponding network service. Each route tree furthercomprises one or more route nodes each encoded with logic in accordancewith a standardized set of rules for designing data files, such as, forexample, a text format, to independently carry out processing. Each suchnode is directed to a specific small task and, accordingly, may beseparately and independently queried by the route engine to provide aseparate response.

In further carrying out the above objects, features and advantages ofthe present invention, there is provided an improved method fordetermining where to route signaling messages in a communicationnetwork. The method is directed for use with a network host such as, forexample, a core proxy server in an IP network which functions to receiveand forward SIP signaling messages to and from edge proxy servers,gateway devices, and/or gateway controllers. The method comprisesproviding a route engine in communication with the network host. Asindicated above, the route engine comprises a plurality of route treeseach pre-built or dynamically configurable and provisioned for use inaccordance with a corresponding network service. Each route tree furthercomprises one or more route nodes each encoded with logic represented ina standardized data file format such as, for example, Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML), to independently carry out required processing for theservice. In keeping with the invention, each route node is directed to aspecific small task and may be separately and independently queried bythe route engine to provide a separate response. Because the logic inany given node will not affect the logic in another, route trees may beeasily configured, reconfigured, deleted, etc. and dynamically loaded inthe route engine as new services and enhancements become available. Themethod further comprises receiving a route request message at thenetwork host, abstracting from the message the applicable networkservice, and determining or configuring the corresponding route tree.Still further, the method comprises traversing the route tree (and itscorresponding route nodes) to carry out the required processing for thenetwork service. Finally, the method comprises returning a routeresponse message to the network host in accordance with the results ofthe processing.

The above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention arereadily apparent from the following detailed description of the bestmodes for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals correspond to likecomponents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a packet-telephony networkarchitecture;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a core proxy server system operative toreceive and forward SIP signaling messages in the IP network of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the CPS system ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a package diagram of the subsystems of a stateful SIP proxyserver in the core proxy server system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a package diagram of the subsystems of a stateless SIP proxyserver in the core proxy server system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a package diagram of a route engine subsystem of a networkhost device according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a high level block diagram of a route engine subsystem of anetwork host device according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a generalized block diagram of the method steps of the presentinvention for receiving and routing signaling messages in acommunication network;

FIG. 9 is a class diagram of a route node in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is a class diagram of exemplary branch nodes to the route nodeof FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an object diagram of an exemplary route tree in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of the routing logic of a representative DTGRNroute node which may be used to configure a route tree in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of the routing logic of a representative NRNroute node which may be used to configure a route tree in accordancewith the present invention; and

FIG. 14 is a class diagram of exemplary route tables in accordance withthe present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

At the threshold, it is to be understood that the system and method ofthe present invention is directed for use in any suitable communicationnetwork wherein a routing determination is required for signalingmessages among network host devices. In a preferred embodiment, asdisclosed herein, such a network comprises a packet-telephony network(IP network) and the network host devices are proxy servers whichcommunicate utilizing the SIP signaling protocol. The following detaileddescription is accordingly provided for exemplary purposes and notintended to limit the scope of the invention to any specific networkarchitecture, host device, signaling protocol or data structure.

Referring again to FIG. 1 of the drawings, an IP network is shown anddesignated generally by reference numeral 10. As indicated above, aplurality of computing devices 14 are provided in communication withnetwork 10 and, more particularly, the “softswitch” architecture whichcomprises one or more edge proxy servers which communicate with andterminate in the core network 22. The core network, also called a coreproxy server system, includes a core proxy server 24 which functions toreceive, process and forward SIP messages to and from edge devices suchas edge proxy servers 20 and media gateway controllers 30 as showngenerally in FIG. 2.

The Core Network (Core Proxy Server System)

A CPS system is a logical concept, which is comprised of either one typeor two types of physically and functionally different SIP proxy servers.These two types of SIP proxy servers are (a) stateful; and (b)stateless. The state within the SIP context refers to a SIP transactionstate. A SIP transaction occurs between a client and a server andcomprises all messages from the first request sent from the client tothe server up to a final response sent from the server to the client. Ifthe request is INVITE and the final response is a non-2xx, thetransaction also includes an ACK to the response.

Internet endpoints (edge devices) that use the SIP signaling protocol tofind one another and to negotiate a “session” are called user agents.User agents may further be referred to as user agent “servers” and useragent “clients”. These are logical entities and each endpoint contains aclient and a server. The client is the part of the user agent that sendsrequests and receives responses. The server is the part of the useragent that receives requests and sends responses. For example, a callingparty's user agent functions as a client when it sends an INVITE requestand receives responses. Similarly, a called party's user agent functionsas a server when it receives the INVITE request and sends responses.However, if the called party elects to send a BYE and terminate thesession, the situation changes. Now, the called party's user agent(which sent the BYE) functions as a client and the calling party's useragent functions as a server. As seen, a stateful proxy server maintainsa transaction state during the initial call setup, and has thecapability to do intelligent routing based on service logic and routingdata provisioned by customer tools.

A stateful proxy server comprises two major subsystems: (a) a SIP proxyserver subsystem which processes SIP messages according to the standardSIP protocol; and (b) a routing engine subsystem which performs anintelligent routing service. The intelligent routing in the presentinvention is provided by routing engine subsystem 34 as discussed indetail below.

Stateless proxy servers are generally simple message forwarders whichforward messages independent of one another. They can be used as loadbalancers, message translators and routers. In operation, a statelessSIP proxy server hashes the call ID of each incoming SIP message anduses the hash value to index the outbound proxy servers. Using thishashing mechanism, a stateless proxy server will send all messages withthe same call ID to the same outbound proxy server, which is required bya stateful proxy server in order to function correctly when the outboundproxy server is a stateful proxy server. Although messages are usuallyarranged into transactions as indicated above, stateless proxies do nottake care of transactions. Accordingly, stateless proxy servers are highperformance systems because they only perform minimal processing tasks.

Stateful proxy servers, in contrast, are far more complex. Uponreception of a request, stateful proxies create a state and keep thestate until the transaction finishes. Because stateful proxies have theability to associate SIP messages into transactions they can performcomplex actions including accounting and forking (the ability to send aSIP request to multiple SIP addresses and return the responses to thesender).

The general architecture of a CPS system which may be implemented inaccordance with the present invention is shown and described in FIG. 3.Two stateless proxy servers 36 working in hot standby mode are providedin communication with 3 stateful proxy servers 38. At any time, only onestateless proxy server 36 handles all the traffic and load balancesacross all the three stateful proxy servers 38. The other statelessproxy server sits idle and will take all the traffic when the firststateless proxy server is down. Such hot standby capability can beprovided by any suitable software such as, for example, GateD. Inoperation, the stateful proxy server 38 will dynamically register withits stateless proxy server. A timing or heartbeating mechanism withinthe stateless proxy server will further dynamically keep track of theavailability of each registered stateful proxy server 38. The statefulproxy server will be removed from an available list by its statelessproxy server when it is down and added to an available list when it isup.

Stateful SIP Proxy Server

FIG. 4 shows the subsystems of a stateful SIP proxy server 38 which maybe used in accordance with the present invention. In operation, thecommunication management subsystem 40 encapsulates IP communicationapplication programming interfaces (API's) from the application layerand manages the conversion between an IP packet and a SIP message byusing the SIP message stack subsystem 42. The SIP message stack parsesincoming IP packets to create application layer SIP messages, andconverts outgoing SIP messages to IP packets. The SIP proxy serversubsystem 44 receives incoming SIP messages and forwards the messages tothe SIP handler subsystem 46 for processing. This logic is repeated inan infinite loop. The SIP message handler subsystem 46 makes requests tothe route engine 34 when it processes new session initiations andreceives routing responses from the route engine. The handler 46processes the routing responses and routes the messages to appropriatedestinations using the SIP session management subsystem 50. The handler46 also interacts with the SIP event management subsystem 52 to handlemessage re-transmissions. The route engine 34 processes the routerequests and finds the route responses based on the service routinglogic and provisioned routing data. The event management subsystem 52handles SIP message re-transmissions based on the SIP protocol. The SIPproxy server 44 interacts with the service management subsystem 54 toprovide an interface for other applications to monitor and control thestateful proxy server system.

Stateless SIP Proxy Server

FIG. 5 shows the subsystems of a stateless SIP proxy server 36. Unlikethe stateful proxy server 38 discussed above, the stateless proxy server36 does not include route engine, session state management, or SIP eventmanagement subsystems. The stateless proxy server 36 routes eachincoming message to a registered SIP proxy server based on the hashingof the call ID. The retransmission of messages for unreliable transportprotocols is achieved through upstream and downstream user agents orproxy servers. The communication management and the SIP message stacksubsystems 40 and 42, respectively, are the same as in the stateful SIPproxy server. The stateless proxy server subsystem 56 uses the samemessage processing paterns as in the stateful proxy server. Thestateless SIP message handler 58 processes messages without keeping anytransaction states. The service management subsystem 54 provides theinterface for separate applications to monitor and control the system.

Route Engine

A route engine is a subsystem to find out all possible route choices andthe associated costs within the network (here the SIP voice network)based on information in a route request. A route request comprisesinformation extracted from a SIP request message, normally an initialSIP INVITE request message of a new call as discussed above. A routingdecision is made according to two types of information: (a) servicesoffered by the network provider (here the voice network); and (b)network and customer data provisioned/updated through external tools. Asdiscussed below, routing service is implemented in a route treestructure consisting of independent route nodes and trunks connectingthe route nodes. A routing service is created through a service creationgraphical user interface (GUI) tool. The routing data is implemented inroute tables consisting of keys and values. The routing data isprovisioned via a suitable interface through a distribution center.

FIG. 6 is a package diagram of a route engine in accordance with thepresent invention. As shown, the route management package 60 manages theroute nodes 62 and route tables 64. The route nodes package 62implements the routing service via route trees 65 discussed below. Theroute tables package 64 implements routing data that can be provisionedand/or dynamically updated at run time.

FIG. 7 shows a high level block diagram of the routing engine subsystemor module 34 used in the stateful proxy server 38 of the core network.As illustrated, a route request 66 (composed from a SIP request messageby the stateful SIP message handler subsystem 46) is sent to the routeengine 34. The route engine 34 traverses a dynamically loadable routingtree 65, and more particularly, one or more independent route nodes 62which comprise the route tree 65. The route tree 65 is selected (ordynamically configured) in accordance with a product or serviceidentified in the SIP message as well as information in the system andthe tree is traversed to obtain data from one or more tables 64 andreturn a route response 74 with potential multiple route choices andsend back the response 74 to the stateful SIP message handler subsystem46. This process is illustrated in the flow diagram of FIG. 8.

In keeping with the invention, the process is directed for use in anysuitable communication system comprising a host device such as a proxyserver which is operative to receive and forward signaling messages. Themethod includes providing 76 a route engine in communication with thehost device comprising a plurality of route trees. Each route tree isprovisioned for a selected network service and further comprises one ormore route nodes each encoded with logic represented in a standardizeddata file format, such as a text format, to independently carry outrequired processing for the service. Each route node is directed to aspecific task and may be separately and independently queried by theroute engine to provide a separate response. Because the logic in anygiven node will not affect the logic in another, route trees may beeasily configured, reconfigured, deleted, etc. and dynamically loaded inthe route engine as new services and enhancements become available.

Still referring to FIG. 8, the method further includes receiving 78 aroute request message at the host device, abstracting 80 the networkservice from the route request message, and determining/dynamicallyconfiguring 82 the corresponding route tree. Still further, the methodcomprises traversing 84 the route tree, and more particularly, the routenodes of the route tree, to carry out the processing for the service andreturning 86 a route response message to the network host device inaccordance with the results of the processing. The details of theprovisioning, selection, and traversal of route trees 65 are discussedin further detail below.

-   -   Routing Logic Creation

As indicated above, a route request is generated based on theinformation extracted from a SIP request message whenever a statefulproxy server 38 needs to route the request message. In keeping with theinvention, a route request comprises a list of routable elements and issent to the route engine which, in turn, traverses a route tree usingthe route request as input. In a first preferred embodiment, a pluralityof route trees 65 are pre-built using one or more interconnected routenodes 62 which may be selected from a plurality of available nodes. Eachof the nodes is encoded with logic to independently carry outcorresponding processing. Again, each route node 62 is directed to aspecific task and may be separately and independently queried by theroute engine 34 to provide a separate response. Each route tree 65 isassembled and provisioned for use according to a corresponding networkservice and implemented when such service is identified by route engine34 from a route request 66. More specifically, the route engineabstracts the required service information from the route requestmessage 66 and identifies and selects for use a corresponding route tree65. In a second preferred embodiment, an applicable route tree isdynamically configured with the required route nodes 62 selected, linkedand provisioned for traversal only upon receipt of the route requestmessage 66 or other suitable time depending on the application and thenetwork design. In either case, the output of the tree traversal is aroute response 74, which contains a list of destinations (local edgedevices) expressed as IP addresses in SIP-URL. Each destination mayfurther be assigned a priority.

An exemplary class diagram of a route node may be shown and describedwith reference to FIG. 9 of the drawings. The ReRoute Engine class 90contains a pointer to a root node of a route tree. As discussed infurther detail below, there are two types of route nodes: (a) branchroute nodes; and (b) end route nodes. A branch node has at least onechild branch connected to another route node as shown generally in FIG.9 by the designation ReBranchNode 92. An end route node has no childbranch connected to other route nodes as shown generally by thedesignation ReEndNode 94.

An exemplary class diagram of branch nodes is similarly shown anddescribed with reference to FIG. 10 of the drawings. The classesReTrunkGroupRouteNode 96 and ReHostRouteNode 100 serve as the baseclasses for further clarification. The trunk group route node 96represents the routing logic related to trunk groups. The user routenode 98 represents the routing logic related to a user. The host routenode 100 represents the logic related to a host. The CarrierIdentification Code (CIC) route node 102 represents routing logicrelated to CIC.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the routinglogic in the stateful proxy server is encoded in a standardized dataformat such as, for example, a text format. In a preferred embodiment,the routing logic is represented by Extensible Markup Language (XML)files. However, it is understood that any suitable data file format maybe utilized.

As those skilled in the art will recognize, XML is not a programminglanguage. Rather, it is a framework for defining markup languages and isused principally for structuring data. Accordingly, XML comprises astandardized set of rules or conventions. As its name implies, XML isextensible. It is also fully Unicode-compliant, platform-independent andsupports internationalization and localization. Like Hypertext MarkupLanguage (HTML), XML makes use of tags (words bracketed by ‘<’ and ‘>’)and attributes (of the form name=“value”). However, there is no fixedcollection of markup tags. Thus, a user may define his or her own tags,tailored for specific information. Accordingly, while HTML specifieswhat each tag and attribute means, and generally further specifies howthe text between them will look in a browser, XML uses tags only todelimit pieces of data, and leaves the interpretation of the datacompletely to the application that reads it. Thus, open source orproprietary software may be used in the route engine 34 of the presentinvention to interpret the XML data. XML is, of course, a text formatand, accordingly, comprises text files that shouldn't have to be read,but which may be read as the need arises.

The routing logic in the stateful proxy server may be represented bythree XML files: (a) RouteTree.xml file; (b) TableData.xml file and (c)ReferenceTables.xml file. In operation, a routing decision is made basedon two provisioned parts: (1) a routing service, which is expressed in atree structure identified by a tree name that is an ASCII string; and(2) various route tables, which contain provisioned data and arerepresented in a table structure. As indicated above, a route treecomprises predefined route nodes 62 and branches 67. A route node is alogic decision element. A branch connects a parent route node to a childroute node.

In keeping with the invention, three factors determine the outcome of aroute tree traversal using a route request as an input: (1) theinformation contained in the route request; (2) the types of route nodesin a route tree, which also dictate what route tables will be searched;and (3) the order of the route nodes in a route tree. In a preferredembodiment, the route tree traversal will start from the top route nodeand end at the bottom route node. There are two types of route nodes:(a) a branch route node that always points to at least one child routenode; and (b) an end route node that does not point to any other routenodes. One special branch is referred to as the default branch. Eachroute node is independent of other route nodes in determining a routeresponse. Accordingly, each route node completes the routing task withinthe node itself.

There are generally two scenarios for completing a route task: (a)finding a final response, e.g. a destination SIP-URL or a treatment, inan end route node; and (b) adding more information to the route requestand delegating the task to its child route node, e.g. in branch routenodes.

-   -   Route Trees

A route tree 65 represents the routing logic used in the route engineand, accordingly, comprises various route node objects connectedtogether based on routing precedence rules. Route trees 65 are createdvia a suitable service creation tool and preferably in conjunction withan applicable graphical user interface. In operation, a route request 66traverses the route tree 65 from the root route node to an end routenode 94 with the specific order of node traversing determined by theservice logic. An object diagram of an exemplary route tree is shown inFIG. 11.

In keeping with the invention, the routing logic of each route tree 65may be expressed in the file of standard XML format called aRouteTree.xml. In a preferred embodiment, each file has the followingelements:

(a) A standard XML version line, <?xml version=“1.0” standalone=“yes” ?>

(b) Standard XML comments, <!- -comment string- ->

(c) A new tag called RoutePlanName to represent a route plan. This tabhas three attributes: (1) the attribute RoutePlan identifies a routeplan name, (2) the optional attribute NodeCount captures the totalnumber of route node objects, and (3) the attribute ChildNode identifiesthe root route node of the route tree. For example,<RoutePlan RoutePlanName=“route_plan_1” NodeCount=“10”ChildNode=“DTGRN_0”> ... </RoutePlan>

-   -   Branch Tags

In addition to the standard XML tags, there may further be definedspecial tags for route nodes. Each route node may contain zero or morebranches. There are three types of branches: index branch, data branchand default branch. Each branch connects two route node objects. One isidentified as its parent node and the other is identified as its childnode.

IndexBranch tag: Each index branch tag has three attributes: attributeIndex identifies the index of the branch, attribute ParentNodeidentifies the branch's parent node, and attribute ChildNode identifiesthe branch's child node, for example, <IndexBranch Index=“1”ParentNode=“DTGRN_0” ChildNode=“OTGRN_1”> ... </IndexBranch>

DataBranch tag: Each data branch tag has three attributes: attributeData identifies the data of the branch, attribute ParentNode identifiesthe branch's parent node, and attribute ChildNode identifies thebranch's child node, for example, <DataBranch Data=“720”ParentNode=“NRN_1” ChildNode=“SSEN_2” ... </DataBranch>

The DataBranch can also have attribute ReferenceTable instead of Data,for example, <DataBranch ReferenceTable=“npa_routing_data”ParentNode=“NRN_1” ChildNode=“SSEN_2”> ... </DataBranch>

DefaultBranch tag: The default branch tag is a specialized index branchwith index of “0”. Each default branch tag has two attributes: attributeParentNode identifies the branch's parent node, and attribute ChildNodeidentifies the branch's child node, for example,<DefaultBranch ParentNode=“DTGRN_0” ChildNode=“OTGRN_2”> ...</DefaultBranch>

-   -   Route Nodes and Node Tags

Each route node has its own syntax and semantics. Each route nodefurther completes a particular small routing task independently and is abuilding block of a route tree as indicated above. Some route nodes areprovisioned with global data. By combining different types of routenodes in different order in a route tree, a route engine can bedynamically configured to perform intelligent routing.

Syntactically, each route node is represented by a special XML tag. Eachtag has one attribute called NodeID that identifies the route nodeobject. Each node tag may have zero or more branches depending on thetype of route node. Numerous types of route nodes may, of course, beused to configure a given route tree depending on the application andthe routing service required. Currently available route nodes which maybe implemented in accordance with the present invention in one or moreroute trees in an IP network include, for example the following:

-   Destination Trunk Group Route Node (DTGRN)-   Origination Trunk Group Route Node (OTGRN)-   Destination Host Route Node (DHRN)-   Origination Host Route Node (OHRN)-   Destination User Route Node (DURN)-   Origination User Route Node (OURN)-   Registered Destination User Route Node (RDURN)-   Destination User Pattern Match Route Node (DUPMRN)-   Country Code Route Node (CCRN)-   Origination Country Code Route Node (OCCRN)-   City Code Route Node (CIRN)-   Origination City Code Route Node (OCIRN)-   NPA Route Node (NRN)-   Origination NPA Route Node (ONRN)-   NPA-NXX Route Node (NXRN)-   Origination NPA-NXX Route Node (ONXRN)-   Ten Digit Route Node (TDRN)-   Origination Ten Digit Route Node (OTDRN)-   Registered Ten Digit Route Node (RTDRN)-   Four Digit Route Node (FDRN)-   Origination Four Digit Route Node (OFDRN)-   Seven Digit Route Node (SDRN)-   Origination Seven Digit Route Node (OSDRN)-   Local Number Portability Route Node (LNPRN)-   Local Number Portability DIP Route Node (LNPDIPRN)-   Local Route Number Route Node (LRNRN)-   Ported Away Route Node (PAWAYRN)-   Percent Allocation Route Node (PARN)-   Priority Route Node (PRIRN)-   Round Robin Route Node (RRRN)-   Day Of Year Route Node (DOYRN)-   Day Of Week Route Node (DOWRN)-   Time Of Day Route Node (TODRN)-   Outbound Route Node (OBRN)-   Route Group Route Node (RGRN)-   Local Access Transport Areas Route Node (LATARN)-   ANI Screening Route Node (ASRN)-   Call Blocking Route Node (CBRN)-   Destination CIC Route Node (DCRN)-   Destination User Category Route Node (DUCRN)-   Dial Plan Route Node (DPRN)-   NA Number Normalization Route Node (NANNRN)-   CNAM Route Node (CNAMRN)-   Config Flag Route Node (CFRN)-   Parameter Flag Route Node (PFRN)-   Product Type Route Node (PTRN)-   Proxy Zone Route Node (PZRN)-   Test Call Route Node (TCRN)-   Check LRN Route Node (CLRN)-   Core Proxy End Node (CPEN)-   SoftSwitch End Node (SSEN)-   Trunk Group End Node (TGEN)-   Fully Qualified Domain Name End Node (FQDNEN)-   CNAM End Node (CNAMEN)-   No Route End Node (NREN)-   Forward End Node (FEN)

As readily seen, the permutations of route nodes which may be linked asroute trees in different order grows faster than exponential growth.Thus, in keeping with the invention, advanced and sophisticated routinglogic for numerous services can be encoded in a small set of routenodes. Encoding all routing logic in a standardized data file formatsuch as XML further simplifies communication routing, and in particular,VoIP routing, and makes the route engine re-usable in many systems anddevices including, without limitation, core proxy servers, edge proxyservers, load balance servers, and redirect servers. Moreover, theindependence of the route nodes solves the backward compatibility issuewhen developing new route services because, as disclosed herein, addingnew route nodes does not impact the routing logic of existing routenodes.

With reference to FIG. 12 of the drawings, the Destination Trunk GroupRoute Node (DTGRN) routing logic is described for exemplary purposes.The DTGRN has a default branch and a local table that containsdestination trunk group to child node mapping. A DTG route element isconstructed from a SIP-URL parameter DTG in request-uri, e.g.sip+17208882926@10.10.10:5060;DTG=1000. The routing logic is determinedas follows: (a) First, check for a DTG routable element in the routerequest. If the route request doesn't contain a DTG routable element,then delegate the task to its default branch if the default branch isset; otherwise fail the routing if the default branch is not set. (b) Ifthe DTG is present in the route request, check the local table for DTGto child node mapping. If such mapping exists, delegate the routing taskto the child node(s) and return all potential SIP-URLs as route choicesin the returned route response. (c) If no DTG to child node mappingexists, delegate the routing task to its default branch if the defaultbranch is set; otherwise fail the routing if the default branch is notset.

A DTGRN is represented in a route tree by the tag DTGRN: This tag maycontain a default and zero or more data branches. The Data attribute ineach data branch lists comma separated DTGs. For example, <DTGRNNodeID=“DTGRN_0”> <DataBranch Data=“1000” ParentNode=“DTGRN_0”ChildNode=“RN_1”> ... </DataBranch> <DefaultBranch ParentNode=“DTGRN_0”ChildNode=“RN_2”> ... </DefaultBranch> </DTGRN>

where the DTGRN identifies a destination trunk group route node, and theattribute NodeID identifies this route node object. It contains a databranch that indicates for DTG of 1000 the routing task will be delegatedto its child node “RN_(—)1”. The default branch points to child node“RN_(—)2”. This example can also be represented using a reference tableformat as follows: <DTGRN NodeID=“DTGRN_0”><DataBranch ReferenceTable =“dtg_routing” ParentNode=“DTGRN_0”ChildNode=“RN_1”> ... </DataBranch> <DefaultBranch ParentNode=“DTGRN_0”ChildNode=“RN_2”> ... </DefaultBranch> </DTGRN> ... <TABLEname=“dtg_routing”> <DATA data=“1000”/> ... </TABLE>

The NPA Route Node (NRN) is similarly described for exemplary purposeswith reference to FIG. 13 of the drawings. A NRN is a specialized DURNwith routing logic similar to that of a DURN. The NRN is only meaningfulfor North American Telephone Numbers.

A NRN has a default branch and a local table that contains NPA to childnode mapping. A destination user route element in E.164 format may beconstructed from the user part in the request-URI, e.g.sip:+17208882926@10.10.10.10:5060, where the destination user is“+17208882926” and the E.164 number is “17208882926” with country codeof 1 and NPA of 720. The routing logic is determined as follows: (a)Check for destination E.164 routable element in the route request. If nodestination E.164 element is present in the route request, delegate therouting task to the default branch if the default branch is set;otherwise fail the routing if the default branch is not set. (b) If adestination E.164 element is present in the route request, check thelocal table for NPA to child node mapping. If such mapping exists,delegate the routing task to the child node(s) and return all potentialSIP-URLs as route choices in the route response. (c) If no NPA to childnode mapping exists, delegate the routing task to its default branch ifthe default branch is set; otherwise fail the routing if the defaultbranch is not set.

A NRN is represented in a route tree by tag NRN. This tag may containzero or more data branches. The Data attribute in each data branch listscomma separated NPA's. The wild card “x” or “X” representing the digitsfrom 0 to 9 can be specified in any digit position. <NRN NodeID=“NRN_0”><DataBranch Data=“303, 720, 45×” ParentNode=“NRN_0” ChildNode=“RN_1”>... </DataBranch> <DefaultBranch ParentNode=“NRN_0” ChildNode=“RN_2”>... </DefaultBranch> </NRN>

where the tag NRN identifies an NPA route node, and the attribute NodeIDidentifies this route object. It contains a data branch that indicatesfor NPA's of 303, 720 and 450 to 459 the routing task will be delegatedto its child node “RN_(—)1”. The default branch points to child node“RN_(—)2”. The above example can also be represented using referencetable format as follows: <NRN NodeID=“NRN_0”><DataBranch ReferenceTable =“npa_to_RN_1” ParentNode=“NRN_0”ChildNode=“RN_1”> ... </DataBranch> <DefaultBranch ParentNode=“NRN_0”ChildNode=“RN_2” ... </DefaultBranch> </NRN> ... <TABLEname=“npa_to_RN_1”> <DATA data=“303”/> <DATA data=“720”/> <DATAdata=“45×”/> ... </TABLE>Route Tables

In further keeping with invention, the disclosed route tables may in apreferred embodiment contain provisioned global data for routing. Thedata is “global” in that there is only one instance of such data in asingle application. Each route table is therefore provisionedindependently. An exemplary class diagram of route tables is shown inFIG. 14 of the drawings. All route tables are included in a single filecalled TableData.xml. The order of tables in the file is not critical.One or more tables can be removed from the file if they are not needed.The file is specified in a standard XML format, whcih will have thefollowing elements:

(a) A standard XML version line, <?xml version=“1.0” standalone=“yes” ?>

(b) Standard XML comments, <!- -comment string- ->

(c) A new tag called ROUTING_DATA to capture all the provisioned tables.

(d) In addition to the standard XML tags, special tags may also bedefined for provisioned tables, including, for example:

DESTHOST_TO_CIC tag for a table of destination host to destination CICmapping;

PORTED_AWAY tag for the table of ten-digit number blocks ported awayfrom carrier A to carrier B where either carrier A or carrier B could bein the IP network;

ANI tag for the table of originating ANI blocks.

NPA_NXX_TO_LATA tag for a table of NPA_NXX to LATA and rate center (RC)mapping.

LOCAL_SP2 tag for a table of NPA-NXXs classified as SP2 region.

LOCAL_RC tag for a table of calling number rate center to called numberrate center mapping that classifies a local call.

CUSTOMER_CALL_LIMIT tag for a table of customer call limits.

Reference Tables

The reference tables may similarly contain provisioned local data forrouting, where local means there may be multiple tables of similar data,e.g. multiple ten-digit tables. All the reference tables are included ina single file called ReferenceTables.xml. The order of the tables isagain not critical. The file is specified in a standard XML format whichwill have the following elements:

(a) A standard XML version line, <?xml version=“1.0” standalone=“yes” ?>

(b) Standard XML comments, <!- -comment string- ->

(c) A new tag called REFERENCE_TABLES to capture all the provisionedtables.

(d) In addition to the standard XML tags, special tags may also bedefined for provisioned tables, including, for example, a TABLE tag foreach table. Each TABLE tag has an attribute called _(name) thatidentifies the table. Each table only has empty elements called DATAwith certain attributes depending on the type of table.

It is understood that short reference tables can, of course, be includedin route tree XML files without departing from the invention. There isno semantic difference to include a reference table in a route tree XMLfile or in a reference table XML file.

Route Examples

By way of example, assume a RouteTree.xml file has the following lines:<?xml version=“1.0” standalone=“yes” ?> <RoutePlanRoutePlanName=“npa_route_plan_1” NodeCount=“3” ChildNode=“NRN_0”> <NRNNodeID=“NRN_0”> <DataBranch Data=“720” ParentNode=“NRN_0”ChildNode=“EEN_1”> <EEN NodeID=“EEN_1” SipURL=“sip: 10. 10. 10. 10:5060” /> </ DataBranch> <DataBranch Data=“303” ParentNode=“NRN_0”ChildNode=“EEN_2”> <EEN NodeID=“EEN_2” SipURL=“sip: 20. 20. 20. 20:5060” /> </ DataBranch> </ NRN> </ RoutePlan>In this case, all calls with NPA of 720 will be routed to10.10.10.10:5060 (edge end node). All calls with NPA of 303 will berouted to 20.20.20.20:5060 (edge end node). All calls with other NPAswill fail because the default branch is not set.

As a further example, assume a RouteTree.xml file has the followinglines: <?xml version=“1.0” standalone=“yes” ?> <RoutePlanRoutePlanName=“npa_route_plan_2” NodeCount=“4” ChildNode=“NRN_0”> <NRNNodeID=“NRN_0”> <DataBranch Data=“720” ParentNode=“NRN_0”ChildNode=“EEN_1”> <EEN NodeID=“EEN_1” SipURL=“sip: 10. 10. 10. 10:5060” /> </ DataBranch> <DataBranch Data=“303” ParentNode=“NRN_0”ChildNode=“EEN_2”> <EEN NodeID=“EEN_2” SipURL=“sip: 20. 20. 20. 20:5060” /> </ DataBranch> <DefaultBranch ParentNode=“NRN_0”ChildNode=“CPEN_3”> <CPEN NodeID=“CPEN_3” SipURL=“sip: 30. 30. 30. 30:5060” /> </ NRN> </ RoutePlan>In this case, all calls with NPA of 720 will be routed to10.10.10.10:5060 (edge end node). All calls with NPA of 303 will berouted to 20.20.20.20:5060 (edge end node). All calls with other NPAswill be routed to 30.30.30.30:5060 (core proxy end node) because thedefault branch is set to CPEN with that address.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. For use with a core proxy server operative to receive and forwardsip: signaling messages in an IP network, an improved route enginemodule comprising: a plurality of route trees encoded as XML files,wherein each of said route trees is provisioned for use according to acorresponding network service and further comprises one or more nodeseach encoded with logic to independently carry out required processingfor the service.
 2. An improved proxy server for receiving andforwarding signaling messages in a communication network, the servercomprising: a route engine comprising a plurality of route trees encodedin corresponding text files; wherein each of said route trees isprovisioned for use according to a corresponding network service andfurther comprises one or more nodes each encoded with logic toindependently carry out required processing for the service.
 3. Animproved proxy server as in claim 2, wherein the proxy server is a coreproxy server.
 4. An improved proxy server as in claim 2, wherein thecommunication network is an IP network.
 5. An improved proxy server asin claim 2, wherein the signaling messages are SIP messages.
 6. Animproved proxy server as in claim 2, wherein the text files are XMLfiles.
 7. For use in an IP network comprising a core proxy serveroperative to receive and forward SIP signaling messages, an improvedmethod for determining where to route said messages, comprising:providing a route engine in communication with the core proxy server,the route engine comprising a plurality route trees each provisioned fora selected network service and each route tree further comprising one ormore nodes each encoded with logic in XML file format to independentlycarry out required processing for the service; receiving a route requestmessage at the core proxy server; abstracting from the route requestmessage the selected network service; determining the correspondingroute tree; traversing the route tree to carry out the processing forthe selected service; and returning a route response message to the coreproxy server in accordance with the results of the processing.
 8. Foruse in an communication network comprising a proxy server operative toreceive and forward signaling messages, an improved method fordetermining where to route said messages, comprising: providing a routeengine in communication with the proxy server, the route enginecomprising a plurality route trees encoded as corresponding text files,each route tree provisioned for a selected network service and furthercomprising one or more nodes each encoded with logic to independentlycarry out required processing for the service; receiving a route requestmessage at the proxy server; abstracting from the route request messagethe selected network service; determining the corresponding route tree;traversing the route tree to carry out the processing for the selectedservice; and returning a route response message to the proxy server inaccordance with the results of the processing.
 9. A method as in claim8, wherein the communication network is an IP network.
 10. A method asin claim 8, wherein the signaling messages are SIP messages.
 11. Amethod as in claim 8, wherein the text files are XML files.